SUDAN/FILE: Sudan's army fought South Sudan's armed forces for a second day on the Sudanese side of their shared border

Record ID: 353629

  • Title: SUDAN/FILE: Sudan's army fought South Sudan's armed forces for a second day on the Sudanese side of their shared border
  • Date: 28th March 2012
  • Summary: HEGLIG, SUDAN (FILE - 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS SHOTS OF HEGLIG OIL FIELDS
  • Embargoed: 12th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Sudan
  • Country: Sudan
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9EKZA4Y8ECCQMR2L24E66RF7B
  • Story Text: Sudan's army fought South Sudan's armed forces for a second day on the Sudanese side of their shared border but Khartoum on Tuesday (March 27) denied any air strikes but said its ground forces had attacked southern artillery positions which had fired at the disputed oil-producing area of Heglig that is partly controlled by Khartoum.
    The two countries have been at loggerheads since the South became independent last year under a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war.
    Oil, the lifeline of both economies, is at the heart of the feud. The landlocked South took most of known reserves when it became independent but needs to export its oil through Sudan. Juba shut down its output of 350,000 barrels a day after Khartoum started taking oil to compensate for what it calls unpaid transit fees.
    The latest violence prompted Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to suspend a trip to Juba on April 3 to meet his southern counterpart Salva Kiir where he was due to discuss a long list of disputes, Sudan's state radio said.
    A spokesman for Sudan's Armed Forces (SAF) Colonel Al-Sawami Khalid Saad said ground forces had attacked southern artillery positions in response to an earlier attack by the south and clarified the whole area is under the control of his forces.
    "We affirm that Heglig area is all under our control and any other allegation need evidence and proof. We confirm that SAF, Popular Defence Forces (PDF), Police forces, Central reserve and affected communities including the Messeriya and other tribes in the area are going about with their normal life in Heglig. Work continues at oil fields," SAF spokesman Colonel Al-Sawami Khalid Saad said.
    Both sides blamed each other for having started the fighting on Monday (March 26). Events in the 1,800 km (1,100 miles) long border area are hard to verify as much of the territory is disputed and not accessible for journalists.
    Each country has accused the other of supporting rebels on either side of the border but direct confrontations are rare.
    Sudan's army has been fighting SPLM-North rebels in South Kordofan since June. Clashes spread in September to Sudan's Blue Nile state which also borders South Sudan.
    "In the battle that took place between SAF and the SPLA supported by insurgent of Khalil forces, SAF destroyed two tanks and 6 armoured vehicles, besides seizing weapons and killing a number of SPLA elements including officers and soldiers. We confirm that they did not enter the oil fields as battle took place away from the oil fields," Colonel Khalid added.
    The new violencea recent rapprochement between the neighbours which had made some progress this month in talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, sponsored by the African Union, trying to end the bitter dispute.
    Both countries have been unable to agree how much the landlocked South should pay to export its crude through Sudan, prompting it to shut down its production after Khartoum started taking some oil for what it calls an unpaid transit fee.
    Khartoum and Juba earlier this month reached two agreements on free movement of citizens in each other's territory, a step that had raised hopes that an oil deal was also possible during the presidents' meeting.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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